Green smoothies for kids – a blend of greek yogurt, spinach, and berries creates a healthy and easy treat packed with protein and antioxidants.
Let’s talk about picky eaters, shall we? I have to say that I feel lucky in a sense that my children love vegetables, not all vegetables, ahem Brussels sprouts, but 99% of the time I don’t hear any complaints.
My kids, like I assume most kids, have their own unique food pickiness. My oldest isn’t a fan of cheese (crazy I know!) or canned/boxed foods. My daughter I think will end up a vegetarian. Given the choice she’ll avoid every kind of meat there is, but can eat a salad all day everyday. She’s been this way since she started solid food as a baby and still wants nothing to do with meat. The little guy..ohh where do I start with him? He is the biggest lover of food I have ever met! This kid can eat, especially meat! Oddly enough he doesn’t like bread or fruit..say what? Umm yeah it makes me question how he can possibly be mine…haha kidding!
While I try to deter them from being selective about their food, I do try to provide them with a well rounded diet to make up for their pickiness. I try to sneak in protein and veggies wherever I can. Another great way to deal with pickiness is to have them select a day where the meal is chosen exclusively by them. This gives them a sense of control and they’re more likely to involved in preparing meals with me on other days. There’s something about cooking dinner with me that gets them excited about the meal, like a sense of accomplishment or excitement since they helped prepare it.
We eat fresh organic spinach almost every single day, it’s our favorite vegetable! We mainly eat it raw as a side salad but I also enjoy making spinach green smoothies with it. My kids have grown to really like green smoothies as well, especially with berries mixed in.
Berry Green Smoothies for Kids
Ingredients
- 6 oz Greek yogurt plain, vanilla, or honey
- 1 cup organic baby spinach
- 1 cup organic mixed berries frozen
- 1/2 organic pineapple frozen
- 1 small organic banana
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
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Combine ingredients in blender until smooth. Add 1/4 cup water if you prefer a thinner smoothie.
When my kids first saw me make a green smoothie they were a little reluctant to the idea of eating spinach with fruit. Trust me, you won’t taste the spinach! If you have a picky eater on your hands this is a great way to sneak in super foods like spinach and blueberries that are filled with antioxidants.
Also, if you haven’t tried chia seeds run out for some today. They’re filled with omega-3s, protein, and fiber. The best part is you can add them into just about everything and they don’t change the flavor of your meal. Again, another great way to sneak in beneficial nutrients in your child’s diet.
I love smoothies (and spinach!) and this recipe sounds so yummy! Your pictures are beautiful and make me want to try the smoothie even more!
I am always looking for smoothie recipes; thanks! There is no dairy free yogurt where I shop. Can I use almond milk instead? Also, how much is 1/2 frozen pineapple? If I get a pineapple frozen, it is in chunks and in a 8 oz bag.
Thanks.
Jeannette Shields » Ooops! That’s 1/2 cup of frozen pineapple chunks. I haven’t tried it with almond milk but I think it will work great in this recipe. I would start with 1/4 cup of milk and slowly increase the milk until you have the right consistency. Thanks for stopping by! :)
This looks absolutely delicious, I love that you made it kid friendly. Totally trying this with my little guy. Pinning. Great recipe!
Looks delicious. I’m lucky too, my son loves veggies and fruit. We were at a birthday party once and they offered him the a pile of cookies but he refused and instead when with the veggie tray instead. People were asking me how I trained him, lol. I’m sure he’s love this smoothie.
I don’t like spinach much… but I actually just bought a bag today to try in my smoothies for the first time. We shall see, tomorrow morning!
Yum! Looks delicious! We are doing lots of smoothies around here, I will have to give this one a try.
Great idea to get kids to eat healthy. I have been adding spinach or kale to my smoothies all summer – I drink one every morning – and have shared some of them on my blog. Most of the time you can not even tell the spinach is in there and they are so refreshing.
I have yet to be sold on the whole “green smoothie” idea. But seeing as how these aren’t actually green maybe I’ll give them a try…hmmm. If it looks like berries it must taste like berries, right? Trusting you on this one!
Smoothie looks delicious! And those smoothie masonry jars/glasses are ADORABLE. The blue barbershop straws make them extra kid friends =)
Oooo, those look great. I love greek yogurt and the addition of chia seeds sounds really interesting.
Yum! My kids love smoothies, but they’re not huge fans of veggies. At all. I love that you managed to pack a whole bunch of spinach in there without it turning brownish or green…time for me to get sneaky with breakfast next week! Thanks for the recipe, Crystal!
thought you might like to know (in case you don’t) that the bottom of the pitcher of an Oster blender will unscrew and fit a regular opening of any size Mason jar. Great for individual smoothies, grinding herbs, chopping nuts, etc. Plastic lids are available (find them at True Value and WalMart (sometimes)) You can drill a hole for the straw. We discovered this after burning out many Magic Bullets!
Hi, can you please tell me where you purchased those adorable jars with lids? I think this might be the key to get my little guy to finally try a smoothie successfully. Thanks